Why Does My Kid Have Bad Technique? By Chris Lewit
t can be very frustrating for parents when their kid’s technique is poor or the player is struggling to make and retain important technical changes. More often than not, the failure is due to either the fault of the coach, player, or parent—or a combination of the three. Over the last 20 years that I have spent building and rebuilding technique in the trenches, I’ve seen just about every situation and have learned many lessons about how to unlock technical progress. I love building technique. I like the intellectual challenge, the science and biomechanics, as well as the creative process of technique building. Developing world- class technique is an alchemy of art and science. Here are the most common reasons that a player struggles to learn a technical skill, including footwork, which I consider technique too:
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1. The coach is teaching outdated or incorrect 36
technique that is not evidence-based or following accepted biomechanical principles It’s is important that parents ensure their child is learning good and modern form. Some coaches are teaching the same techniques as they did 30 years ago! Watch out for old school technique! 2. The coach is not connecting and building trust with the player during the technique building process Altering or rebuilding technique is as much a psychological process as it is a physical process. The coach must wire—but he or she must also inspire. The coach has to build trust and develop confidence in the player. It reminds me of a sales job. The coach must be a master salesman, convincing the player of the value of the changes and supporting the player emotionally during the technical development process. Learning a new technique is
Long Island Tennis Magazine • July/August 2021 • LITennisMag.com
hard. The coach must have empathy and be charismatic and persuasive. The best technical coaches have these qualities. Some coaches just don’t understand this aspect. They may have the right knowledge, but they fail to communicate the knowledge in a way that connects with the player and they may not support the player emotionally enough during the process. Learning new technique is anxiety provoking for many players. Players need a lot of emotional support. Even if the coach is teaching the right skills, players may not have the belief or will to make the important changes—or they may not trust the coach enough. Some coaches have neither the right biomechanics knowledge nor the salesmanship. Parents have to do their due diligence. It’s hard to find a brilliant technical coach in the tennis world. I only know a handful of coaches whom I would trust to build the hardware of my son or daughter.
